The present invention relates to an ultrasonic imaging method and ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, and more particularly to an ultrasonic imaging method and ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus by which comparison between a previously acquired reference image and a real-time image currently being acquired can be suitably made.
Conventionally, there has been known an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus that stores a reference image, reads out the reference image, and displays the reference image with a real-time image superimposed or arranged side by side. (For example, see Patent Document 1).                [Patent Document 1]        
Japanese Patent Application Laid Open No. 2000-300557 (claim 1).
In the conventional ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, however, no consideration is given to possible difference between the scan conditions for the reference image and for the real-time image.
If a difference exists between the scan conditions, a problem arises in that a region unchanged from the past to the present looks as if it were changed or a region changed from the past to the present looks as if it were unchanged.